By ASSOCIATED PRESS
SACRAMENTO, California (AP) — Austin Reaves scored a career-high 51 points including four clutch free throws in the final 32 seconds, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings, 127-120, without Luka Doncic on Sunday, Oct. 26.
Reaves made 12 of 22 from the field and sank six 3-pointers including the 500th of his career. Reaves also had nine assists and 11 rebounds.
Reaves is just the fourth player in the last 40 years with at least 50 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists in a game, joining Doncic, Russell Westbrook (twice) and James Harden (twice). The last time a Lakers player had 50-plus points, 11-plus rebounds and nine-plus assists was Feb. 13, 1963, when Elgin Baylor had 50 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists against the Boston Celtics.
DeAndre Ayton had 22 points and 15 rebounds for the Lakers. Rui Hachimura scored 18 points.
Doncic was ruled out before the game due to a sprained finger on his left hand and a bruised lower left leg. He’s expected to be reevaluated in about a week, according to the Lakers.
That’s another blow for Los Angeles, which isn’t expected to have LeBron James (sciatica) back until mid-November.
Against the Kings it hardly mattered the way Reaves played.
Reaves scored 15 points in the fourth quarter after the Kings took a four-point lead, including a clutch jumper that gave the Lakers a 122-116 lead with 1:48 remaining.
Zach LaVine scored 32 points to lead six players in double figures for the Kings. DeMar DeRozan scored 21 points, Domantas Sabonis had 10 points and 14 rebounds, while Dennis Schroder added 18 points and 12 assists.
Meanwhile in Inglewood, Kawhi Leonard had 30 points and 10 rebounds and the Los Angeles Clippers beat Portland, 114-107, in the Trail Blazers’ second game since head coach Chauncey Billups was arrested on gambling charges.
Billups and Miami Heat player Terry Rozier were among those arrested Thursday for what federal law enforcement officials described as their involvement in illicit gambling activities. Billups was charged with participating in a conspiracy to fix high-stakes card games.
In Dallas, Cooper Flagg scored 22 points and had a soaring one-handed dunk during the decisive run, helping the Mavericks beat the Toronto Raptors, 139-129, for their first victory with the No. 1 overall pick.
Anthony Davis had 25 points and 10 rebounds as the Mavericks won the third of five consecutive home games to start the season, a night before they face defending champion Oklahoma City to finish a back-to-back.
In Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell scored 24 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, Evan Mobley added 23 and the Cavaliers held off the Milwaukee Bucks, 118-113, to win their home opener.
Mobley was a career-best 12 for 12 on free throws along with eight rebounds and six assists. The last Cavaliers player to go perfect from the line when making 12 or more attempts was LeBron James on Nov. 5, 2014, against Utah. James was also 12 of 12.
